At our September 8th meeting, we were happy to have William Assamoi join us as a guest and prospective member! William is originally from the Côte d’Ivoire and works in home health. 

Raymond Miller attended the Manor New Tech High School Key Club meeting on September 7th. He reported that over 100 students were in attendance – that’s about a third of the school’s total student population! We’re eager to see what these student leaders have in store for the coming year.

This month’s meetings are focused on the Kiwanis I-Plan as we plan for the 2016-2017 year.  In line with the theme of our first meeting, Inspiration: Membership & Engagement, members shared their stories of inspiration. Here are a few excerpts:

• Ron Kingsbury shared that he’s inspired by the opportunities that new and old members alike have to serve and lead at the club, division, district, and international level. The structure of Kiwanis provides incredible opportunities for individual growth.
• Bill Gordon recounted his impressions of the club’s 50th anniversary in 2011. The celebration was held at Region XIII and involved the club members, as well as the larger community, AISD School Board members, school leaders, and UT’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. Past Governor Gene Jantzen spoke on the impact of Kiwanis from the international level and much discussion revolved around enhancing the quality of education in East Austin. The most impressive portion of the meeting was hearing the children’s’ choir of Pecan Springs Elementary. For many parents, it was their first exposure to Region XIII and to the service that Kiwanis provides. 
• Raymond Miller shared a recent story about our Kiwanis-family outing to the Round Rock Express baseball game. He loved the energy and excitement from the Austin Achieve Builders Club members as they told stories about how much fun they had at the event.
• Phil Thomas, in recalling that we were approaching the 15th anniversary of the 9/11, recalled that the terrorist attack created an opportunity for the country to think about disaster readiness. Our club’s partnership in disaster relief operations with the Salvation Army allowed us to respond to the space shuttle Columbia crash. We formed our own training team that went on to do trainings with other Kiwanis Clubs. Disaster relief trainings eventually became a project of the Texas-Oklahoma Kiwanis District and Kiwanis International. Phil fondly remembers disaster simulation trainings at the airport with recently departed member, Neil Hopkins. 
• Noel Roebuck has always loved our club’s Valentines banquets because of the conversations shared amongst friends that demonstrate the close bonds shared between members and friends.
• John Cano didn’t have a moment of inspiration to share…yet. He says it’s in development.

What a busy two weeks it’s been! 

At our March 3rd meeting, Immediate Past President Ed Randle won the Happy Dollars pot by picking the black marble! The past few months have been fun playing our little game of chance that benefits The Eliminate Project. Keep on playing, and maybe you’ll win next time!

On March 8th, members of our club visited the Kiwanis Club of Austin-Golden K at the Lamar Senior Center. President Raymond Miller and Past Lieutenant Governor Bill Gordon represented us well by speaking on the latest news of our club. One member from the Golden K club shared her appreciation of the vocal talents of our members when she visited us a few weeks ago.

At the March 10 meeting, President-Elect John Cano provided a recap of the 62nd annual convention of the Texas-Oklahoma District of CKI. Dozens of students from across the two states gathered to learn new professional and service-leadership skills, elect new officers for the district, and to celebrate their many achievements. Our club also received a new banner patch for John’s recent donation as a CKI alumnus to the district’s Legacy Fund, an endowed fund held with the Texas-Oklahoma Kiwanis Foundation that, when fully funded, will provide ongoing financial support to the district. 

Hope you’re ready for a new service opportunity! The Dottie Jordan Recreation Center in the University Hills neighborhood is hosting their first Teen Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt. We’re pitching in by staffing the activity tables, hiding the eggs before sunset, and providing any other requested assistance. This should be a great opportunity to get engaged with the community!

Our next inter-committee meeting is scheduled for March 24th at 6:30pm at the H-E-B on 51st St in the Mueller Market District. We’ll be in the community room working out details of our activities related to our priority areas of service, membership, fundraising, and support for our sponsored service leadership programs. 

Last week we had a great presentation from Dr. Eric Dieter, Executive Director of Pre-College Academic Readiness Programs, of the UT Division of Diversity & Community Engagement. He shared some great details about the variety of programs in Austin and across the state that are helping improve higher education outcomes for scores of youth.

This week we’re glad to welcome Erin Douglas, Membership Director of the YMCA of Austin, as our guest speaker. Erin has been part of the Y movement for over 11 years. She believes strongly that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. We are all in charge of our attitudes. In her spare time, she enjoys live music and singing.

March 4-6 is also the Texas-Oklahoma District of CKI’s annual convention. Members from colleges and universities across the district will gather to learn develop professional skills, vote on changes to district bylaws, elect a new district board of officers, compete for scholarships, and celebrate the service and leadership accomplishments of the members and chapters. Our own President-Elect and past Governor of the Texas-Oklahoma District of CKI, John Cano, will be in attendance and will provide a summary at our club meeting on March 10.

Don’t forgot about National Pancake Day on March 8th! Volunteer shifts will be posted very soon on our club site’s  Club Projects page.

Sorry for the delayed update! We’ve got quite a bit to recap and more exciting things coming up!

On November 17th, we held our first social of the year at the Waller Creek Conservancy Creek Show Artist Talk. It was an entertaining and engaging night of art and design! All five design teams were on hand to discuss their installations in detail. The Contemporary Austin’s Andrea Mellard facilitated the discussion.  Club members and friends had a chance to explore Waller Creek, experience the sights and sounds of the installed pieces, and envision a new future for Waller Creek. Check out the Facebook Photo Album.

Our guest speaker for the November 19 meeting was Tracey Edgar from Landscape Structures. Landscape Structures is a proud Vision Partner of Kiwanis International; meaning we work together to bring play and playgrounds to communities across the globe. They provide high-quality commercial playground equipment and services that reflect the high degree of integrity that Kiwanis demands. Tracey got us excited about the prospect of building a playground in the area soon!

Our guest speaker for the December 3 meeting was James Brown, Director of Worship and the Arts at First Presbyterian Church of Austin.  In keeping with the theme of the holiday season, James shared his reflections and some historical information on the origins and traditions of Advent in the Christian faiths.

Other News

Our club forwarded our choice for the Walter Hurst Sophomore of the Year Scholarship to Lt. Governor John Clifford. Three other great students from NYOS Charter School, LASA High School, and Reagan High School were notified that their applications would not advance to this next stage,  but were commended for their drive and thanked for participating. Special thanks to the scholarship review committee made up of John Cano, Bill Gordon, and Noel Roebuck for their help in reviewing the applications. Find out more about this and other scholarships in our Scholarships page.

Our flash-sale Pecan Sale is complete! Bill Gordon will pick up the pecans and gift baskets the week of December 10.

Austin Partners in Education is hosting a holiday read-a-thon in December 14-16 at the Pecan Springs Elementary library. If you’re interested in volunteering, please visit their website ASAP so you can submit your information for a background check. Volunteer shifts will are available in our Club Projects page. Sign up today!